Woman killed in Times Square stabbing, suspect shot dead by police

A 32-year-old woman was killed and another victim is in the hospital after a double stabbing in New York's Times Square on Monday afternoon. The suspect, a woman carrying two knives, was fatally shot by police. Both victims were taken to a hospital, where the female victim and the suspect were later confirmed dead, according to Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

The deceased victim has been identified as Erin Piacenti, a Bank of America employee. The male victim is currently in stable condition. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch described the attack as unprovoked, stating that the stabbing occurred 20 seconds apart. The incident reportedly began near West 41st Street and Seventh Avenue in Midtown Manhattan.

The suspect approached a man who had just exited the subway and was with his wife, waiting to cross the street. A witness observed the suspect remove two knives from a red Target bag before attacking the first victim. The suspect continued up Seventh Avenue towards 42nd Street, where she stabbed the second victim, Erin Piacenti, who died at the hospital.

When confronted by police, the suspect refused to drop her weapons, telling officers "I'm not dropping anything, I'd rather kill both of you." She repeated "I will kill you" before police fired their weapons, resulting in her death. The suspect, identified as 49-year-old Pamela Cisneros from Queens, had no prior arrests but had a documented mental health history with the NYPD.